Question: Solve for $x$. Enter the solutions from least to greatest. $3x^2 + 36x + 81 = 0$ $\text{lesser }x = $
Answer: $\begin{aligned} 3x^2 + 36x + 81 &= 0 \\\\ 3(x^2+12x+27)&=0 \end{aligned}$ Now let's factor the expression in the parentheses. $x^2+12x+80$ can be factored as $(x+9)(x+3)$. $\begin{aligned} 3(x+9)(x+3)&=0 \\\\ x+9=0&\text{ or }x+3=0 \\\\ x=-9&\text{ or }x=-3 \end{aligned}$ In conclusion, $\begin{aligned} \text{lesser }x &= -9 \\\\ \text{greater }x &= -3 \end{aligned}$